Issuance of laissez-passer for a corpse

The doctor who issued the death certificate must print out a copy of the death certificate in its entirety and add the following to the certificate:

• A statement of whether the deceased suffered from infectious disease.
• Legible name, stamp, date and signature.

The information contained in the death certificate is confidential information. To comply with the duty of confidentiality to the deceased and not disclose sensitive personal data to third parties, the doctor must provide the death certificate in a closed and sealed envelope to the applicant - usually a funeral director or a relative to the deceased. The sealed envelope must be submitted unopened to the receiving Supervision and Guidance division at the Danish Patient Safety Authority. 

If, due to exceptional circumstances, an electronic death certificate has not been prepared, the medical doctor must make a photocopy of part two (page 2-3) of the handwritten paper death certificate, and add a statement to the death certificate with the following information:

• A statement of whether the deceased suffered from any infectious disease.
• A statement that the photocopy is identical with the original.
• Legible name, stamp, date and signature.

The photocopy must be provided in a closed and sealed envelope to the funeral director. 

A printed copy of the burial authority’s decision on “Request for Burial and Cremation” as certification that the death has been reported to the burial authority. The burial authority is the church parish where the deceased died or where the deceased was born. You can read more about “Request for Burial and Cremation” on the website of the Danish Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs.

The request form for permission to transport a deceased person abroad, including information about the nature of the coffin, must be signed and submitted. The form can be downloaded below under “Certificates and requests”.

The soldering of zinc coffins is performed by funeral directors. The company that performed the soldering must complete the soldering certificate. The soldering certificate must be submitted with the application.

Special provisions for Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden: Zinc coffins are not mandatory unless required by the company performing the transport. However, the coffin must always be airtight and solid.

The embalming of corpses is performed by funeral directors. You must therefore contact a funeral director to arrange for the embalming of a deceased person. Once the corpse is embalmed, the funeral director who performed the embalming completes an embalming certificate. The certificate form can be downloaded below under “Certificates and requests”.

Special provisions for Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden: The embalming of corpses before transport by air is not mandatory unless required by the company performing the air transport.

A laissez-passer for a corpse is not required for the transport of cremated human remains (ashes) to or from Denmark.

A laissez-passer for a corpse is not required for the transport of corpses within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Denmark. No laissez-passer for a corpse is required for transport to the Faroe Islands, which is considered part of the Kingdom of Denmark in relation to the Order on the Handling of Corpses, No. 152 of 1983, including transport of corpses.

A laissez-passer for a corpse is not required for transport to and from Bornholm via Sweden.

However, a laissez-passer for a corpse is required for transport to Greenland.